Tag: Festival
Oakwood Festival 2010
James got to go to a festival two days in a row. The first day he went was Saturday when we stopped off at the Oakwood Festival on the way to a graduation party (Kirsten Maliszewski). The next day we picked up Aunt Peg and took her shopping, then went back to the carnival for some more fun. The pictures here are from the first day, the second day it was just Dad and James so no one took pictures which was fine with the both of us (Aunt Peg couldn’t join us because she was in pain with her legs.). The only ride we did different the second day was the Ferris Wheel and I would have to say James liked that the best.
Magic Capitol 4th of July Festival 2008
After the parade we went to the festival which had plenty of games for the kids including a 4th of July putt putt where kids could put into rockets, top hats, and playing cards (Colon is the magic capitol which explains the magic theme included with the patriotic theme of the 4th). James got to go on the moonwalk a couple times, then went to the dunk tank and actually hit the button with a toss, causing the clown in the dunk tank to go into the water.
Mom enjoyed shopping at the craft show and checking out the home made items for her garden including bird houses and bird feeders. That being said I think she ended up buying a pair of sun glasses due to being out in the sun all day. After visiting the beach for a quick swim for James we went to our friends house Walter and Mary who had a barbecue going and stayed there till the evening as fireworks lit up the summer sky.
Fireworks are better in the country than the suburbs due to light pollution. They really showed up great at the Magic Capitol this Independence day.
St Albert Festival 2007
This year at the St Albert Festival James got to do a little exploring, he went to the playground and made a couple friends, then went off to the sand box which is located between the Jr and Sr buildings at St Albert. Such a shame James will not be going to this school, since it will be closed down. I have no idea what will happen with the buildings and all, or what will happen to St. Alberts but from what I understand this will be the last festival because most of the people involved with it have kids in school, and next year they will be going somewhere else.
James was much more mature this year and we were able to keep him out a little later so that he could ride some of the rides at night. He fell asleep on the wagon ride home.
St Albert Festival 2006
The local Church festival came around again, and James was first in line for several rides this year. He is still too small for many of the rides but is quite content with the ones that he is allowed to ride. His favorite is the train ride, a nice relaxing stroll in front of St Albert the Great church.
We found out that St. Albert school will be closing, not enough kids to keep it open. What a shame, both myself and my sister Criss attended school here and it sure is a shame that it won’t be around when James goes to school in a few years. I do not know what will happen with the festival, but without the parents of students to help I don’t think the outlook is good.
Pontiac Jambalaya 2005
Mary wanted to see one of the Blues performers really bad, so we made the trek up to Pontiac and enjoyed a wonderful day of festive recreation. Koko Taylor was performing and Mary is a big blues fan so this was an extra treat for us. In addition, it marked the first time that James was able to pick out his own duck at the duck pond and won his first prize.
Tony Stewart won the Nascar race that day, I remember we were listening to it on the car radio and waited till it was over before we left the parking complex. Tony is Mary’s favorite Nashcar driver (I think everyone probably knows that by now, one of her Nascar friends called right after to make sure she heard the news) so it was a double great day for her.
St Albert Festival 2005
I used to go to this school as a child, so did my sister Criss so its only natural that we would support our local church, especially when they are celebrating their 50th anniversary. This year we went to the festival two days in a row. On the second day James took a break and played in his new kiddie swimming pool, complete with dolphins, then later we went back to the Saint Albert festival for a second day of festivities.
They opened up the school so that people could go through and see past pictures from some of the past classes, saw a lot of my St Albert Alumni friends in there.
A great summer day for sure, who could ask for more. The weather was perfect, the rides were great, and the atmosphere was great. Below is a video of James before the festival started playing in the St Albert playground.
Trenton Festival 2005
We try to get to the Trenton festival each year, usually its right around the same time as the Wyandotte festival. We always take a stroll down by the river there, if for no other reason to get a break from the crowd.
The booths are well stocked with all sorts of gems including personalized storied so we ordered a personalized story for James which they had finished before we left for the day.
They have also have an area of games for the kids which James enjoyed and he always falls asleep with a helium balloon by days end.
St Albert Festival 2004
The annual festival was never this big when I was a kid. When I went to school we had a moon walk and a small haunted house in one of the classrooms. The Polka-Tels were the band every year and we had a choice of kielbasa or hotdogs at the concession stand. This reminds me of Boblo, its huge and alot of fun.
James got to meet many friends for the first time including Diana Ball who is friends with Criss and Kenny and who I went to school with at St Alberts.
Dearborn Heights Festival 2004
While we were at a neighbors graduation party they told us what a great time they had at the Dearborn Heights Festival which was going on simultaneously with the graduation party. We were not aware of it and after the graduation party went to the North side of town and saw a pretty decent festival going on. James is still very small and cannot ride on any of the rides, but he enjoys the atmosphere and the sounds and each day is a new adventure for him so in that perspective it was worth while.
My mother used to tell me that Dearborn Heights was shaped like a barbell with the North and South sides connected by one road (Gulley). The North side is about twice the size of the south side so it would be an uneven barbell at best but still a decent analogy.
Boblo Island 1987
Another visit to Boblo which was without a doubt one of the best days of the summer. We used to leave for Boblo on the Detroit ships, which took over an hour to get to the island (but they did have a bar and dancing for the adults, which made them very popular on the way home). As a young boy I remember stairing at the huge engine that powered the Detroit boats.
While the Detroit boats were fun, it was a long trip and kids would eventually get bored. The adults enjoyed them because of the bar and dancing on the boat. However they did add a port in Gibraltar MI with smaller boats (similar to Mackinaw but not as fast) and all of a sudden the boat ride was only about a half hour. We certainly preferred this as it gave us more time on the island and more time to go on rides.
